KANCHANAMALA (KANCHI) RANASINGHE-MULTIFACETED GENIUS HIGHLY QUALIFIED MEDICAL DOCTOR ,LECTURER,VOCALIST,CHARITY WORKER, DRAMTIST IN SINHABAHU AT PEAK OF CELEBRITY – BY SUNIL THENABADU
Dr Kanchanamala Ranasinghe known popularly as Kanchi among her family,friends, patients and admirers is a multifaceted authoritarian charisma has at her relatively young age navigated over many traits as a consultant clinical doctor for which she has the highest post graduate certification, Kanchi with her multifaceted competences, traits, and talents retain a diverse temperament with expertise in multiple fields. Kanchi has immense hereditary affiliations inherited from her parents who were both scholars and dramatists. The duo Malini and Terrence Ranasinghe then residents of Peradeniya both have honorary degrees in Biology and Arts from the University of Peradeniya .Mother Malini had been selected to the medical faculty in Colombo, as then there had been only this solitary medical faculty in Sri Lanka , her parents had objected to accepting this offer as she had to be away from home. Mother Malini instead had followed a biology degree to become a BSc graduate. While in the first year in the University her talents in singing had been acknowledged to be nominated to portray the role of the first “Suppadevi” character in the popular stage play “Sinhabahu” ,later as the “Maname Queen” thereafter in other stage plays in Professor Ediriweera Sarathchandra’s
Kanchi had been a bright student throughout her career at school, nominated as school captain in year 1992 at Girl’s High School ,Kandy from where she has had her entire education having won many prizes simultaneously taking part actively in artistic activities been an active member of the drama team in her alma mater,also she had also been involved in music, oratory, and sports was awarded the “Mallett” gold medal. She was awarded the ‘best allrounder” award at the 1994 school prize giving.Kanchi had excelled in table tennis,basketball, and netball having participated in provincial and all island school competitions She had continued sports viz, table tennis having won University colours while a medical student , then had continued to play table tennis in QLD for the table tennis club in Brisbane, iscurrently ranked No 7 in the over 30 years age category.Kanchi’s son having inherited mothers skills too plays table tennis enthusiastically is a member of the Queensland table tennis team.While Daughter Aravindi is already a television star following grandmother and mother. Aravindi too follows mother is currently a medical student in the Griffith University in QLD.
Kanchi was invited to be the chief guest at her alma mater sports meet in year 2018 after a lapse of many years since leaving school, though she domiciled in Brisbane. Kanchi had affirmed in a television dialog that both parents had assisted in her and brother’s studies whenever the duo could, particularly mother had helped her in her science subjects. She reminisced that the duo very often left for Colombo early morning on days they had shows, to join the “Nattya’ bus in Colombo who had invariably returned to the family base in Peradeniya late night. During her tenure in school she had portrayed an important female heroine role of ‘Samudra Devi’ in the stage play ‘Samudradevi” for the inter school drama festival in year 1993 when she was barely sixteen years old ,staged at the Elphinstone theatre in Colombo, where for the role she portrayed as “Samudradevi” she was bestowed with the ‘best actress’ award amply demonstrating her inherited hereditary and innate talent, the theme song of the play “Himi Oba Dakuman” had added the much needed spice to her protagonist. This play had been subsequently staged in many cities and shown on the state television channel Rupavahini too. Kanchi had entered the medical faculty at the Peradenya campus in year 1996 had passed out in the year 2001 as a MBBS doctor. While at University she was chosen to represent Sri Lanka in a cultural talent contest and participated in the International University Talent Competition in Tokiyo, Japan in 1996 Kanchi had performed her internship period in Kandy area as a Clinician , General Practitioner having also served as a lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine ,University of Peradeniya before moving to Australia for higher medical credentials in the year 2005 via a scholarship. Kanchi had joined the academic staff of the school of medicine, University of Queensland teaching, taking part in the examination processes too until year 2012 while continuing her post graduate research. Kanchi still serves as an Clinical Examiner for the medical school at the University of Queensland.
Dr Kanchanamala (Kanchi) Ranasinghe possesses MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery),FACRRM (Fellowship of the Rural and Remote College of Medicine), FRACGP( Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of general Practitioners),FARGP ( Royal Australian College of General Physicians),EMC ,CWH , MPhil ( Master of Philosophy) and PHD ( Doctor of Philosophy, University of QLD ) which is the highest postgraduate achievement one could achieve. These qualifications Kanchi had obtained at a relatively young age and a brief period is now also a sought after specialised General Practitioner in QLD. During her tenure in QLD after her PhD having moved west to St.George suburb , where she works in a variety of subspecialties including Obstetrics, Rural and Remote Emergency Medicine and General Practice .Kanchi had thereafter worked at the Royal Children Hospital in Brisbane . Kanchi had worked in many Emergency units in Toowoomba hospital, Redlands hospital and Prince Charles Hospital, in the Sunshine Coast too. where she had positively triumphed over her FACRRM, FRACGP and FARGP through General Practice training in QLD. Kanchi intends to continue her work in teaching ,research and clinical medicine with superior emphasis in patient and medical education. Kanchi had emphasized and reiterated in media discussions that giving a patient hearing to the related ailments should be the priority of any physician , as of course his calling on the medical officer is to obtain redress for his ailment.
In Australia , a week in July every year focus on attention to ‘infant mental health’. The authorities of SBS Sinhala radio in Brisbane had invited the consultant ,senior lecturer at the school of medicine Griffith university her in this mid year for Dr Kanchanamala( Kanchi) Ranasinghe to narrate its dire significance to make awareness among all Sri Lankans.It is so important for every infant ,dubbed those below one year in age needs to begin life in a positive conducive manner. To narrate its dire importance to make an awareness among all Sri Lankans down under and those back home. She revealed that all believe that only elders and children suffer from mental health disorders. But not so, as all infants during the first year too suffer from mental stress, owing to many factors like , lack of sleep , restlessness etc.Through research studies it had revealed about seventy percent who were diagnosed with mental health disorders later in life had been affected as infants or in their childhood. . It is of paramount important that the infants are given maximum attention, as it is during this time their brain cells starts to develop. . It has been now proved that a major cause of mental deceases had been initiated from what they had carried from infant age. It has been researched and found from year 2009 to year 2019 before the covid-19 catastrophe period “disability adjusted life years” had increased from eighty million to one hundred and twenty five million due to mental health conditions. This figure may have increased to unprecedented tall elevations to date with other restraints like prevalent wars, food catastrophes and other factors. It had also been researched and found that one among eight persons in the world suffer from some sort of mental disorders. In this scenario it important to identify the factors that lead to infant health obsessions.
Dr Kanchanamala was also invited by the 4EB radio in Brisbane to speak on “Stress and its long-term effects” in June this year as focussed by the World Health Organisation. For all the ‘stress’ is on the incline owing to many impediments encountered like problems at work, home issues, children’s’ matters, financial concerns which obviously offer growth to stress. She attributed ‘stress factor’ to six causes for fatalities, which are the foremost triggers of deaths in the world. These deceases are cancer, heart attacks, accidents, deceases in the alimentary canal, cirrhosis, and perpetrating suicide. The reasons are from our own thinking for a prolonged time with which certain functions in the body transforms .She stressed that there is a huge adaptive capacity for human beings but owing to overthinking of a prevailing issue will perhaps lead to stress. In a research made by the Global Organization for Stress in a survey it had revealed the seventy five per cent people are subjected to mental stress. The only way to reduce this alarming number is to help each other. The presenter of the program was flabbergasted when Kanchanamala said there is stress among the infants too. It is during the first three years the brain of a child begin to develop .All activities of adults are observed by the child up to the age of three years.The child needs maximum care and attention during the first three years,This foundation has to be laid rigidly in infant age by offering all his vital needs in a loving , kind way. Kanchanamala categorized stress factor as ‘acute’ stress and ‘chronic stress’. As an example in acute stress were quoted as by an athlete who is to about to commence a one hundred metre dash or standing in an unsafe area when hormones are discharged instantly in assisting to navigate over these constraints. In chronic stress people have been living over a long period like having financial issues, domestic problems, children’s matters unsolved, basic needs, family conflicts who had been forced to live on with them. In these instances, the nervous and hormone system makes severe changes to the body. This would lead to increase of cholesterol in the body which may lead to heart attacks, also headaches which would affect the muscles, also increases the possibility to lead to diabetes. In a survey carried out in Australia seventy two percent had confessed that stress factor had affected their health drastically. Some sixty per cent had said it had affected their thinking capacity too. Eight percent of the university and students in TAFE institutions have admitted that they suffer from mental stress .But unfortunately only a fewer percentage had obtained assistance to get over situation which could be evaded by consulting physicians to explain their ailments. The main symptoms of chronic stress are one who likes to live in isolation, lose temper, live in frustration, get excited abruptly, If a doctor and a proper psychologist is not consulted the patient would face severe physical and mental consequences. They are prone to get addicted to smoking, liquor, drugs which will lead to more destruction. Her advice is to meet the family physician regularly by speaking to him/her about their anxieties. In Australia there are many institutions to help those like lifeline, black talk institute, smiling line, coping with stress etc. Kanchanamala also briefed to make aware that by taking prescribed drugs alone for high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol would not be sufficient but has instructed to obtain advise from the family physician to maintain good mental health which is paramount to managing physical health as well. She advised all to stay away from the traditional monotonous life deviating from them by taking part in sports, art, music. mixing with friends etc which is vital for good mental health.
Kanchi apart from excelling in many areas of medicine enjoys engaging in sports and in the field of performing arts emulating her legendary parents’ duo of course having inherited genetic affiliations to them. She had affirmed that she loves art , music more than to her medical profession saying it is her comfort zone.. Since she was a little kid she had been following the feats of the parents by viewing their stage dramas very meticulously with tremendous curiosity. Many fellow artistes of her parents have had the recurrence to visit their dwelling for practices also she had been visiting the Peradeniya Sarsaviya open air auditorium located close to their home whenever time permitted. Kanchi had closely watched every movement of her mother performing the role as the “ Suppadevi”. Though Kanchi has had in her innate thinking to perform this role one day had not divulged to the parents. She had kept it very covertly for nearly twenty six years .She had remarked that she had known all the stanzas of the ‘Sinhabahu’ play by heart. After she divulged her interest to portray her mother’s role of “Suppadevi” , her mother was very astonished had instantly consented .Kanchi had communicated with Madam Lalitha Sarathchandra about four years back conveying her willingness to portray the role of “Suppadevi”.At the first instance she had been asked to sing a song which had soothed Madam Sarathchandra who had complied, had got her to take part in rehearsals. Of course Kanchi knew very well it is a huge challenge for her decision as she had two young school going children, to travel from Australia, taking leave from her busy medical profession were not that what could be navigated over simply. Kanchi made her debut as “ suppadevi” portraying the same role as her mother on the 6th of Juy 2019 at Elphinston theatre and on the 13th at Lionel Wendt. She had been given the proposed dates of future ‘Sinhabahu’ stage plays to be staged for which she had hoped to travel to Sri Lanka.In December year 2019 she had travelled to Sri Lanka with her family. She had been invited to the SLRC’s popular Saturday evening program “Thala Bashana” the other guests were well known Chandani Hettiarachchi, Lankika Perera, Rohan de silva and Madhavi Anthony at which time she had portrayed the “Suppadevi” character five times including the last one at the Lionel Wendt art theatre after which Kanchi had received many accolades from numerous quarters . Kanchi elaborated to the presenter Thanuja Jayawardena on how she was selected for her role of “Suppadevi” for the stage play ‘Sinhabahu’.At this program Kanchi sang two songs “Ira Paya” and “Raja Maduraka” very strikingly comparable to that of a veteran. During her visit she mother and her two children ,daughter Aravindi and son Previne were invited to the program “Rise and Shine” in a English ‘EYE’ television channel at which both children sang English numbers which the duo is familiar in. This was an emphasis and an illustration showcasing the talent of three generations implicated in art via hereditary affiliations. During that visit she had launched three of her songs “Nubata Ehenne Nehe”, ( music by Nalaka Anjana Kumara), official music video ”Rosa Mal Dothe” (music by Dharshana Wickrematunga),”Gav Ganan” music video ,music by Dharshana Wickrematunga, all the lyrics were penned by Nayanasena Wanninayake. which were in addition to one other song already recorded and released. The trailers of the songs were played during this interview. Her next song yet to be launched is ‘Sanda Pahan” a duet with Nalaka Anjana Kumara for his music composition, lyrics by Sunil R Gamage.This song along with many others are to be staged in Sri Lanka as a Musical Show on 7th of January called “ Sahan Pahan Re” at the Lionel Wednt Arts Theatre in Colombo. This musical show is planned with much enthusiasm and will showcase contributions form many veteran artists . Sanda Pahan Ra musical show will be presented by – Narada Wijayasuriya – Award winning Lyricist, Renowned writer and Outstanding presenter, Music Direction and Invited Singer – Maestro Nalaka Anjana Kumara, ,Co- ordination – Buddadhasa Galapaththi, Organising – Jude Sri Mal, Visuals – Sanjaya Hemasiri, Invited Performance – Geeth Premachnadra and wife Swarnamali – Chitrasena Dance Academy. Tickets could be obtained from Jude Sri Mal –+777363633 or from the Lionel Wendt Office – (+94) 11-2695794, Lionel Wendt Art Centre,18 Guildford Crescent, Colombo 007
It is pertinent to quote that Dr Kanchanamala leads a team of doctors in Brisbane.In collaboration
From the foregoing genius Dr Kanchanamala’s multifaceted feats including her charity work where she remains on low profile not willing to speak on much.She needs to be hailed and applauded to unprecedented tall elevations perhaps unparallel to many. Which are, very well demonstrated having accomplished an abundant of achievements ,navigating over all triumphs with consummate comfort at such a relatively young age . Having qualified in all possible post medical examinations v.i.z, MBBS, FACRRM, FRACGP, FARGP ,EMC,CWH , MPHIL and PHD ,sharing her immense knowledge educating medical students by also rendering an immaculate service to many patients been a specialised general practitioner. Having completed the highest medical qualifications she devotes more time for her passion in singing also in rehearsing for the ‘Suppadevi” role in the stage play ‘Sinhabahu’ emulating her mother legendary Malini Ranasinghe.There is no doubt all her friends, patients, students, fans in Sri Lanka and Australia would wish her a booming success in her all impending endeavours which would no doubt would continue in the same vein and passion..
